Tuesday, May 15, 2012

This was a whimsical party themed around Gnomes, and Woodland creatures. We were blessed with a perfect Spring Day which let us set up our party in a little clearing in the woods. I wanted it to feel as though the tiny woodland folk had pulled together their best mix of lace and finery to decorate for a special celebration. ( I had imagined the gnome hats placed upright at every seat, however, the gentle breeze had other ideas)

We strung a wire between two trees and hung this grapevine chandelier. I attached handmade paper doilie flowers, a few butterflies and scraps of ribbon . I loved the way this turned out. I also searched the local thrift store for a pair of lace curtains ($3) and strung them between two trees.

Our favors were Ceramic butterflies with space to write a wish and tuck inside. We decorated each box with a rustic pencil and some ribbon.

It seems a naughty little girl has trapped a gnome to keep as her own.

Super easy (non sewing!) craft to turn a wooden stool from the craft store into a Toad-stool. I finished this area off with an old stump and a little tea set.

This was a gluten free cake made for our GF guests. My sister ( BakeLove Bakery ) made the cake and adorable fondant figures, and I had the fun of making the bunting on top.

A thrift store owl vase put to good use in the Pie Safe. Our local supercenter sells tiny pies in their bakery section, so we piled them onto a plate as an alternative to cake.

Making fairy houses was our main craft and it really kept the girls busy and happy. Old Keys, River Rocks, Moss, Seashells, Paper Flowers, and Butterflies were some of the items they used. The houses were picked up at Michael's craft store and glued to small wooden bases (also from Michael's) so there would be a little front yard for each house.

I made two mushroom shaped cakes by baking cake batter in round pyrex bowls. I put a round piece of cardboard under the top half before setting it on the bottom half which was slightly smaller. I used large round chocolate circles to give it a mushroom look. I am not a baker, but these were quite easy to make and decorate.

I found a lovely old graphic from the Graphics Fairy site and used it for all our printables (invitation, food cards and thank you notes). We served Acorn cookies (mini nilla wafers and hershey kisses held together by a drop of icing)...

S'more sticks (marshmallow rolled in melted chocolate and then rolled in Graham Cracker crumbs - they are so delicious!

The Squirrel mix was very simple, just a can of mixed nuts from the store. For presentation, I rolled doilies into a cone shape and secured them with tape, and then poured in the nuts.

Donut holes dipped in warm chocolate and rolled in chopped nuts, just add chocolate sprinkles for the eyes and nose. The girls just loved these.

I was delighted by the way the curtains in the backdrop created lots of pretty photo ops.

Here is the invitation we made from an old fashioned graphic.

All the little ladies enjoying their woodland tea.

Are you throwing a gnome party too? I've got lots of great ideas, tutorials and printables collected over on my Woodland Pinterest Board. Click on my Pinterest button on the right hand side of this blog to check it out.

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About Me

I'm Heather, a mom of two lovely girls and the Wedding Planner for the Golden Horseshoe Inn. Before the littles came along, I was a professional actor and talent coordinator. Now I've turned my love of big productions into a love for big celebrations! Creating simple, soulful weddings and enchanting children's parties is what I love to do.